PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF METHYLENE BLUE USING GRANULAR TiO2

The photocatalytic degredation has received a great deal of attention due to its new technology for environmental pollution. Among photocatalytic semiconductors, titanium dioxide is known as a photocatalyst for the removal of environmental contaminants. In this study, granular form of the TiO2 (1-5mm diameter) which provided its powder was used to observe the methylene blue (MB) degradation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reusability of granular TiO2 (fixed as 40 gr) as a catalyst in the removal of MB by photocatalytic oxidation process for various concentration of MB (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 mg/L) and UV-irradiation time up to 60 min. Then, photocatalytic oxidation of MB using granular TiO2 was investigated under UV irradiation. The effects of MB concentration on the color removal efficiency of the aqueous solutions were investigated. During the photocatalytic oxidation, the change in dyestuff concentration was monitored with spectrophotometer and the reaction kinetics were determined by spectrophotometric analyses. The results showed that, 87% yield was obtained using 50 mg/L MB and 40g granular TiO2 for one hour degradation time.